Читать книгу Fairytales for adults in the fourth dimension - Slava Sarazhin - Страница 3

Spring is a great time! All of nature wakes up, and even the sparrows chirp in different voice. The first grasses, bravely rise up out from the black soil, saturated by the melting snow. I am standing in the midst of all this beauty, deeply breathing in the air. People pass me by, looking at me puzzled after seeing my happy wide smile, happy and a little bewildered by the splendor that I see all around me. They immediately avert their eyes and walk on faster, only because I am standing in the middle of the sidewalk, stopped by a sudden sense of life going on around me.

Suddenly, I pay attention to a man standing there, just like me, with a sheepish smile on his face, taking in the world around us. Our eyes met and we and understood each other without saying a word. We smiled at each other.

He was a man of strong physique, you could even say huge. His powerful shoulders were almost bursting through the seams of his lightweight jacket, showing off every movement of his muscles. The man drew a space around him with a sweeping gesture of his hand, as if to ask my confirmation that the long-awaited spring had arrived. I nodded to him in agreement and a smile lit up his dazzling strong face. He came over to me and offered to shake my hand.

"Atlas," he said in a deep bass voice.

Automatically I shook his hand and as soon as I did so I made a hissing noise like a punctured tire. The man's hand felt like it was made from railway tracks.

"Sorry I didn't get that," I said, through the hissing sound, shaking my hand around.

"That's my name," repeated the man, anxiously watching my hand flicking around in front of his nose.

"My apologies!" He said. "I always forget that my grip is overpowering! My name is Atlas."

"My name is Slava," I said, holding out my hand to this athlete, but thinking of the consequences, I immediately withdrew it.

The man laughed, and for a moment it seemed to me that his laughter, resembled something similar to the sound of falling rocks and a summer thunder storm, reflected against the blue spring sky as it echoed over us, covering us with a wave of pure energy.

"You would not happen to have a cigarette?" Asked Atlas, closely watching carefully every person in the river of people flowing past us on both sides.

"Sorry… I don't smoke," I said, and I wanted to add: "And I advise you not to either," but looking at his powerful figure, I remained cowardly silent.

Atlas smiled knowingly and said: "It all depends on how you feel about it! If you inhale the pure mountain air and can still be sure that it is dangerous for your health, believe me, you will not last long."

Atlas laughed thunderously again, and once again I caught the strange effect. His laughter surrounded me, sparkling with bright lightning and melting into space.

"Instead, I'm enjoying every day," continued Atlas. "It has already been several thousand years. Every day is different to the one before. Every day offers hundreds of different opportunities, and I try to take every one of them!"

Noting the change in the expression on my face, Atlas smiled understandingly, and clapped me on the shoulder in a friendly way that left my head buzzing. After that he turned round one hundred and eighty degrees, and confidently strode off down the road.

I couldn't allow myself to miss out on the chance to talk with the real Atlas, because these days I didn't believe in accidental encounters. Having caught up with Atlas, I adjusted to his rapid confident stride, especially as he was heading in the same direction as I was.

"So you are Atlas?" I asked, getting used to the pace of his walk.

"Yes! I am Atlas," he replied nonchalantly. "Like the Atlas of legend, walking the streets every day, enjoying life."

"So, who is holding up the sky?" I asked, straining to remember the image of a huge man holding up the starry sky.

"My brother is doing that job at the moment," said Atlas.

I walked a little behind him, and looked at his un-doubtfully powerful body, but it still didn't look enough for such a massive mission (supporting the vault of heaven with all the satellites, aircraft, space debris, and the clouds).

As if sensing what I thinking Atlas stopped abruptly and turned to me. I nearly bumped into him with my nose.

"Listen, Slava," he said, looking me straight in the eye. "Surely you're thinking that no amount of muscle could hold up the sky? There is not a man on earth strong enough to hold such a weight. Why do you think I told you about the power of persuasion? Atlas holds the vault of heaven on his shoulders because of the power of his belief that he is able to so. And these," he shrugged his huge shoulders, "are an extra help."

He raised his index finger in admonishment, smiled, turned and went on his way.

Taken aback by his ability to read minds, I caught up with Atlas and asked him:

"So you mean to say that even I could do it?"

"Of course," said Atlas. "Do you want to give it a try?" He asked, turning his head and looking at me appreciatively from head to toe.

"No, thank you. I was just asking more out of curiosity. I do not like monotonous work," I said hurriedly.

"I'm the same," said Atlas.

"Once my brother and I were stood under the weight of the heavens, dreaming that the day would come when we would be released from this terrible burden. The time would come when it would be possible to straighten our weary shoulders, take a deep breath, and enjoy eternal life, without cursing it. But my brother and I are different! I told him: "we must not only dream – we must take action!" If the sky was somehow held up before we became involved, then it will stay put without the help of a pair of sweaty men. My brother did not want to listen and he didn't follow his dreams, but I understood. Everything we think, everything we know, what we believe, is not so important. The important thing is what we do."

"When I realized this, I dropped the sky from my shoulders, wiped the salty sweat from my forehead and, for the first time in my life, I smiled. Since then, the smile has never left my face, and I'm happy every day."

"What about your brother? In my opinion, it was not fair to leave him this burden."

"He is OK! Someday he will understand the truth and will throw the heavenly dome from his shoulders."

"And then the end of the world will come," I said confidently.

Atlas stopped abruptly, but I was still moving and needed to quickly take a couple of steps back. He looked thoughtfully at the drifting clouds in the blue sky.

"While you are here, people… mankind, the sky will never fall! Because, even if the clever Atlas supports the sky with the strength of his faith doesn't believe he can get something better from life, then what about you humans! Every time you feel the pressure of life, lack of success and other misfortunes, this is if as nothing compared to the weight of the sky. There have always been people like that! But there are others like me… and you," a second later, Atlas looked me in the eyes and said:

"Enjoy every moment of life and leave the weight of the skies to those who already hold it with pleasure."

Atlas turned and strode off. I didn't go after him, because I understood what he was saying. Each of us – Atlas, and everyone has a choice – to support the sky or live a full life. I straightened my shoulders, and smiling at everyone that I passed by, I strode confidently into the spring.